Apple issues iOS 11.3 only for new 2018 sixth generation iPad

Apple on Wednesday released its anticipated iOS 11.3 update, but only for the 2018 "budget" sixth generation iPad, which was announced on Tuesday and will only ship to most people in the beginning of April.

Nevertheless, people who already have the tablet can download it as an over-the-air update by going into the iOS Settings app's General menu. Apple hasn't said when the software will become available for earlier devices like the iPhone X or iPad Pro.

The software is labeled as build 15E216 for 32-gigabyte iPads, and 15E218 for 128-gigabyte models. The current beta has build number 15E5216a -- with the four digits at the tail-end of the release generally noting a so-called "gold master" version.

11.3 has been in testing for some time, and is Apple's most important point release for iOS 11 so far, above all enabling new battery management features. Since iOS 10.2.1, Apple has automatically throttled some devices with chemically depleted batteries, but with 11.3 users will be able to monitor battery health and toggle throttling off except for extreme scenarios.

Other upgrades include promised Messages storage on iCloud, and support for ARKit 1.5, an improved version of Apple's augmented reality platform allowing things like vertical surface detection. Also added is software authentication for HomeKit, which should lower the barrier for accessory makers who once needed authentication chips.

Any word on fix for broken Face ID, since 11.2? What is holding up repair for such an important feature? Surely this will be addressed before v12.0?

I'm not at all clear what you're talking about. My iPhone X is on 11.2.6 and the Face ID on it is perfect.

It is FAR from perfect, works horrible in low light, angle has to be just right and is a bit unreliable when used for apps like Canary for some reason... Even on latest 11.3 beta...

No problem in low light here, which makes sense since it uses IR.

Apps won’t make any difference whatsoever since they just call the API and don’t even know if it’s a Touch ID or Face ID.

Angle does have to be one that shows your face in a normal way.

But the biggest thing is, you have to actually look at it during the auth window. Some people find they aren’t used to doing that, so if you swipe up while not also looking at it it won’t unlock. (unless you disable this added security feature)

Any word on fix for broken Face ID, since 11.2? What is holding up repair for such an important feature? Surely this will be addressed before v12.0?

I'm not at all clear what you're talking about. My iPhone X is on 11.2.6 and the Face ID on it is perfect.

It is FAR from perfect, works horrible in low light, angle has to be just right and is a bit unreliable when used for apps like Canary for some reason... Even on latest 11.3 beta...

No problem in low light here, which makes sense since it uses IR.

Apps won’t make any difference whatsoever since they just call the API and don’t even know if it’s a Touch ID or Face ID.

Angle does have to be one that shows your face in a normal way.

But the biggest thing is, you have to actually look at it during the auth window. Some people find they aren’t used to doing that, so if you swipe up while not also looking at it it won’t unlock. (unless you disable this added security feature)

I've noticed it seems to work somewhat faster/better at odd angles if I open my eyes wider at times, since I have Require Attention turned on. This may affect certain users more than others I would imagine.

According to Apple's release information, this article's statement that iOS 11.3 is available only for the 6th generation iPad is incorrect.

iOS 11.3 is available for iPad Air and later, and the iPhone 5s and later. It's the iPod touch that's only has availability for the 6th generation.

Check the date on this article. At the time this was written, it was only released for that iPad. A day later, it was released for everything else. Congrats on your first post! Better luck on your second.